Can delivering mechanism



Jan. 13,1942. Q H MARS 2,269,422

GAN DELIVERING MECHANISM Filed Dec. 30', 1939 INVENTOR, EHnRLEsHFlYnRs ATTORNEY.

Patented Jan. 1 3, 1942 r OFFICE CAN-DELIVERING Mncn rlN-isi/r Charles H; Ayars, Salem, N.J., assignor to'A'yars Machine Company, Salem; N. J:, a corporation" of New Jersey Application December 30, 1939, Serial No. 311,885

1 Claim.

This invention relates to can filling machinery, and has particular reference to the delivery of the cans from the filling machine after the same have received their contents.

The invention specifically refers to the delivery wheel, and more particularly to the fingers which extract the cans from the can filling machine and carry them to the point of delivery.

The primary object of the invention is to provide means which will extract and deliver filled cans without jarring or spilling the contents thereof.

A further object of the invention is to provide extracting and delivering means so constructed when the filled cans are moved along a stationary base that there will be no chattering of same.

The invention also has as an object the extraction and delivery of cans from a can filling machine either with or without the aid of the usual guide rail.

According to the invention, the can filling machine which is provided with means for rotatably moving cans during the filling of same is provided with means for removing the filled cans, comprising a stationary .disk, a rotary member having peripheral fingers for engaging the filled cans to move same along said disk, said fingers each having a fiat can-engaging surface inclined forwardly at its outer end in the direction of rotation of said member. More specifically, the finger has a fiat can-engaging surface inclined forwardly relative to the direction of rotation of said member fro-m a radial line extending through the inner termination of said surface.

The drawing illustrates an embodiment of the invention and the views therein are as follows:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary plan view of the delivery mechanism of my invention, and

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the delivery member of my invention.

As illustrated in the drawing, the can filling machine A has a central shaft 3 upon which is mounted a star wheel 4 which moves cans B circumferentially in the direction of the arrow K, and during which time they are filled. The material filled into the can may be beans and tomato sauce, peas and brine, tomatoes, or, in fact, any fruit or vegetable commodity, or other thing which is packed in cans. It may also be liquid material, such as tomato juice, oil, syrups, etc.

At the time when the cans reach the point 6, they have taken their entire fill and are ready to be discharged from the can filling machine A. Heretofore, it has been customary to use the rail and against the rail 1.

l which engages the inside periphery of the can, and gently eases the same from the platform 8 upon which they have been propelled by the star wheel 4 and onto a stationary disk 9. The cans were assisted from the platformll by fingers of a delivery Wheel somewhat similar to the delivery wheel l2. The fingers associated with prior delivery wheels with which I am familiar invariably push the cans along the inside of the rail 1 to the point of discharge from the stationary disk 9, and this frequently caused splattering resulting in spilling of the contents of the cans.

The delivery wheel I! is mounted on a shaft l3, which shaft is rotated in any suitable manner. As an illustration of a can filling machine and mechanism for rotating a delivery wheel, reference may be had to the patent of this applicant, granted May 16 1939, No. 2,158,767, and particularly Figures 1 and 2 thereof.

With delivery mechanisms heretofore used in can filling machines of this type there was considerable chattering of the can on the disk 9 This chattering sometimes became so extreme that contents of the filled can were spilled therefrom and onto the disk 9 and the floor on which the machine was located. Various experiments were made to overcome this chattering and spilling, but throughout a number of years no definite results were obtained.

In the invention herein the fingers ll have their can-engaging surface l4 coinciding with the line it extending from the outermost edge of the fingers and tangent to a circle l9, as illustrated in Figure 2. More specifically, fingers II are inclined forwardly at their outer ends relative to the direction of rotation, as indicated by the arrow R. It has been found that on this type of finger, the cans bear against points on the fingers indicated by their intersection with the dotted line l8. This dotted linehas a radius M. If a circle it be scribed from the center I! of said member or wheel with a radius P, experiments have shown that if the radius P is approximately one-fourth of the radius M, the cans will be moved by the fingers l l and remain substantially at the contact point indicated by the dotted line it. However, it has been found that even though the cans B touch the rail 1 in their delivery by virtue of the member or Wheel l2, there will be no chattering of the filled cans on the disk 9, or no spilling of the contents even though liquid contents of the can are very close to the top thereof.

This type of delivery apparatus can be applied to many types of can filling machine now being used, and will be found to extract and dea liver cans to their destination without any chatonto the disk, a rotary member substantially concentric with said rail having fingers for engaging said cans to move same along said disk, said fingel-s each having a straight can-engaging surface inclined forwardly relative to the direction of rotation of the member, said can-engaging surface substantially coinciding with a line extending from the radially outermost point of said surface and tangent to a circle concentric with said rotary member and having a radius of approximately one-fourth the radius of said memher, and the forward inclination of the canengaging surface directing the cans along the disk out of chattering contact with the rail.

CHARLES H. AYARS. 

